Lottery officials announced Monday that a South Carolina resident has stepped forward to claim the $1.5 billion Mega Millions prize but elected to remain anonymous.

Lottery news sites are currently buzzing with the news, and it’s no surprise they are, as the lucky Mega Millions winner must be over the moon finally being able to claim the win.

Now that the highest paid winner for a single player has come forward after 4 months to claim their $1.5 billion dollar prize, residents can’t stop talking about the record-breaking Mega Millions jackpot win. This includes the store that sold the ticket and locals who are now trying their own hand at fortune.

Speaking to the owner of the gas station in Simpsonville that sold the winning $1.5b Mega Millions lottery ticket, the owner Mr C.J. Patel said, “That day was busy.”

Mr Patel remembers the day over four months ago when customers swarmed the store hoping to match the Mega Millions lottery numbers and win the $1.5 billion jackpot.

When asked about the length of time it took the jackpot winner to come forward and claim the astronomical prize, Mr Patel said, “Sometimes we get worried, but they must be planning for it, so they are taking their time.”

The winner took eighteen and a half weeks to claim the one-time cash payout of $877.8 million. The largest jackpot a single player has ever won!

Speaking to a Simpsonville resident and avid Mega Millions lottery player, he said, “Money changes a family for generations. It must be a heck of a thought.”

“You can’t win if you don’t play.”

The State of Carolina gets $61 million of that in taxes and the store that sold the winning ticket, after taxes, approximately $25,000.00. Patel said he’ll use the money to pay for renovations to the store in Simpsonville as well as some of the six other convenience stores he owns. When asked why he thinks the winner took so long to come forward, Patel said: “That’s a lot of money to manage.”

Since the news broke that the $1.5 billion Mega Millions ticket was sold in Simpsonville, there has been an influx of traffic to the area, with everyone visiting the store to buy a Mega Millions lottery ticket.

The largest single jackpot win

$1.5 billion Mega Millions lottery payout is the largest single-ticket win in US history.

Even though the prize is not the largest jackpot of all time, it does take the title as the single biggest win as the largest jackpot was the $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot from 2016. This jackpot was won by three US Powerball lottery players who shared the jackpot.

South Carolina Education Lottery Commission Executive Director Hogan Brown said in a statement:

“We are delighted that the winner is a South Carolinian and has come forward to claim this remarkable prize. We respect the winner’s decision to remain anonymous, and we will honour the winner’s wishes.”

Other than the immense size of the lottery jackpot, lottery officials, on this occasion have gone so far as to not even release the gender of the winner, allowing full anonymity.

The only new information that has been released is the fact that the incredibly lucky Mega Millions lottery jackpot winner purchased the winning Quickpick ticket on an impulse. An impulse that just happened to change their lives in the most momentous and life-changing way.

Biggest Lottery Wins

Now that the colossal Mega Millions jackpot has been claimed, let’s take a look at jackpot wins that have received just as much attention across the globe.

Interestingly enough, the top four largest jackpot wins have all taken place within the last three years! Which just goes to show, you are at the right place and the right time to give yourself the best possible opportunity to take your place on the lottery podium.

$1.586 billion US Powerball jackpot

Seasoned lottery players will remember the original earth-shattering $1.586 billion US Powerball jackpot that left us all staring in disbelief set on Jan. 13, 2016. Although it still holds the title of the biggest jackpot in the world (just), it doesn’t hold the title of the biggest single prize, as that went to the $1.58 billion Mega Millions winner.

Three couples that love playing the Powerball lottery shared the top jackpot prize. They were John and Lisa Robinson in Tennessee, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt in Florida and Marvin and Mae Acosta in California.

After splitting the prize and taking the once-off cash option, each couple received roughly $327 million before taxes. Had they taken the annuity option they would have received $533 million but over a long period of time.

The Robinsons’ winning ticket was one of four they bought at a grocery store. Like most lottery jackpot winners, they too opted to take the lump sum once-off payout and said, “We’re not guaranteed tomorrow,” says John.

Since winning the Powerball, John and Lisa Robinson have upgraded to a multimillion dollar home, complete with a home theatre and a private lake. Other than the noteworthy house, they’ve kept out of the headlines.

Florida-based Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt are still buying lottery tickets! Other than a few luxury buys, the couple have kept up their old routines.

Marvin and Mae Acosta, the final third of 2016’s $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot winners, took six months to claim their share of the record-breaking jackpot. The couple have stayed quiet since their big win. They did, however, release a statement saying they were thankful for the “ a rare gift that has been placed in our care.”

$1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot

Coming in second in the largest lottery jackpot and taking the title of the biggest jackpot prize a single ticket has won is the $1.537 Mega Millions jackpot win that has just been claimed in Simpsonville.

$758.7 million Powerball jackpot

In August 2017 we saw Mavis L. Wanczyk come forward and claim the huge $758.7 Million Powerball jackpot. The lucky winner comes from Chicopee, Massachusetts and took home $480.5 million before taxes as the lump sum payment.

After working for the Mercy Medical Centre for 32 years, Wanczyk told her employers that she would not be coming back to work.

“I’ve called them and told them I will not be coming back.”

$656 million Mega Millions jackpot

On March 30, 2012, a retired couple, Merle and Patricia Butler, a group of friends that called themselves the “Three Amigos”, and an anonymous individual from Kansas, all took home $218.6 million each.

Merle Butler went on record saying, “We are just everyday people who have worked hard all our life…we just happened to hit it big.”

$648 million Mega Millions jackpot

On December 17, 2013, two lucky Mega Millions lottery ticket holders won the $648 million Mega Millions jackpot. They were Ira Curry of Stone Mountain, Georgia, and Steve Tran, a delivery driver from Northern California. Both took the lump sum option worth roughly $173 million apiece.

Just like Mavis L. Wanczyk, Steve Tran also called his boss to say “I don’t think I’m going to come in today, tomorrow or ever.”

Speaking to lottery officials, Steve recounted the conversation that took place when he realised that he was holding the winning Mega Millions lottery ticket.

"I looked at my wife, who was right there with me and said, 'We won,'" Red Bud resident Merle Butler, 65, of the moment he realised he had a winning ticket the night of the March 30 drawing. "Then she looked at me funny, and I said, 'No, we won.'"

"She giggled for about four hours, I think," he said

$590.5 Million Powerball Jackpot

On the 18th of May 2013, 84-year old Gloria MacKenzie of Zephyrhills, Florida, caused quite a stir in the headlines when she won the $590 million jackpot.

She still holds the title as the “biggest Powerball win by a single ticket”.

Interesting enough, she and the latest $1.537 billion Mega Millions winners share the same story when it comes to purchasing their winning lottery tickets. They both let someone go ahead of them while standing in the queue to buy lottery tickets.

Ms MacKenzie took home $278 million after taxes (the cash value of the ticket was around $370.9 million).

$587.5 Million Powerball Jackpot

Two tickets shared the $587.5 Million Powerball Jackpot when their tickets won on November 28, 2012. The first ticket holders were Cindy and Mark Hill of Missouri, and a then 37-year old Matthew Good of Fountain Hills, Arizona.

Cindy and Mark told their daughter not to get her hopes up for the simple reason that winning “probably never happens.” But Lady Luck definitely had other ideas and they were lucky enough to win the top Powerball jackpot prize.

$564.1 Million Powerball Jackpot

On February 11, 2015, the world once again saw another three winners splitting the half-a-billion Powerball jackpot.

Andrew Weber, claiming a third of the prize on behalf of a Trust in Texas. The second share went to an anonymous player from Puerto Rico, while the third ticket was claimed by single mom Marie Holmes of North Carolina.

Marie Holmes went from working in a supermarket to support her children to an overnight multimillionaire thanks to buying a Powerball lottery ticket.

Speaking to lottery officials the millionaire mum said the prize would be used to further support her kids. She went on to say that she also wanted to finish college, support charities, and buy her mom a new house.